Retrofpea of Domeftic Literature,—Poetry, 8c. 
books. The fineft of them are entitled 
Cadwallon, Llewellyn, Lliaian, Rodri. 
The ftory of the blind Cynttha, the inter- 
view with the rightful heir of Wales, the 
difcovery of Hoel’s child, and the farewell 
of Rodri, are among the molt pathetic 
fcenes in the whole compafsof epic poetry. 
The fault of this part confifts in its dwel- 
ling toc little on the voyage, which is the 
proper bufinefs of the poem; and too 
much.on the internal feuds of Wales, the 
refult of which are not to occupy the rea- 
der’s attention. There is alfo an impro- 
-bable refemblance between the feveral fe- 
male charaéters introduced. 
In the fecond part, Madoe and his new 
affociates arrive in Aztlan, but find the 
natives no longer ina friendly and hofpita- 
Jetemper. Their fuperftitious prejudices 
have been alarmed, and they are confede- 
rating toexpel the chriftian intruders. A 
war begins, Madoc is taken prifoner, 
_and on the point of being facrificed to 
idols, The courage and {kill of the few 
Welfh at length triumph over the favage 
horées, who asree to evacuate a province 
in favour of M:doc and his companions. 
This divifion of the poem has twenty- 
feven books : thofe might have been much 
condenfed, which are fubfcequent to the- 
refcue of Madec; for the event is from 
that time decided, and the intereit decays. 
The Snake-God, the Battle, the Viftory, 
are good cantos ; and the epifode of Co- 
atel and Lincoya is affefting. -The cha- 
racters of the favages are well-drawn ; 
they are more difcriminate and various 
than thofe of the Europeais. 
The total abfence of mythology, the 
confonance with chronicle and tradition, 
and the antiquarian fidelity of coftume, 
with which the manners both of the Welih 
and of the Indian nations are depicted, 
give to this poem an impreffioa of reality 
attained in no other fimilar work. The 
degree of illufion approaches that  pro- 
duced by the hiftoric plays of Shakefpeare : 
it bears to thofe epic poems, in which fu- 
pernatural machinery is employed, the re- 
lation which a tragedy bears to an opera. 
Ariftotle defines the epopea to be tragedy 
in recital ; this definition applies cloiely to 
Madoc. 
W ith the exception of marvellous inter- 
pofition, this poem has many refemblances 
with the Odyffey, the ASneid, and the Lu- 
fiad; and will, we think, eventually be 
ranked by criticifm between the frit and 
laft of thefe poems. It has the advantage 
over them all in the character and majefty 
of the chief perfonage. With Gama one 
hardly becomes acquainted ; he is na more 
MONT Lage ac. No, 133: 
657 
of a hero than the name of his thip, 
ffineas never interefts but on his way to 
hell: his civility to Palinurts (except the 
ipfe fubibo humeris), is the only tiait of 
heart in his chara&ter. The rapacity, the 
felfith unfeeling, the low cunning of Odyf 
feus degrade him from that moral rank, 
which is effential to fympathy. Sovhocles 
felt this deficiency of Homer; aod in a 
fine fcene of his Philogtetes, has covtrafted 
the fincere and generous Neoptolemos with 
the infidious and crafty Odyfleus. Madoc 
is fach a Neoptolemos in middle age: he 
interefts at once and all along, by his affec- 
tions, his refources, his difficulties, and his 
virtues. 3 
The ftyle is equal, as in Leonidas ; not 
various, as in Thalaba : it is correct, not 
daring : itis moft fuccefsful in the deferip- 
tive paflages, which are every where vivid 
and picturefque: the metapiors are few 5 
the epithets are inlaid with novel aptnels. 
The language is rather trailing like that 
of Spenfer, than condenfed like that of 
Malton ; it is fomewhat deficient in rapi- 
dity, vigour, and fplendor, ane would gain 
by the infertion of more imitations, fimi- 
lies, and burfis of dition. The oratory 
too fhould be fuller of thought, argument, 
and maxim. The poet has purfued to ex- 
cefs the praife of invention and origina- 
lity; he has difdained tranfplantations 
from the works of his predeceflors, though 
Taflo wrought fo beautiful a patch-work 
with fhreds. It is in literature as in the 
world, he ranks higheft who fpends mof ; 
no matter whether he borrows, or owns, 
what he beftows. Plagiarifm is even a 
fource of reputation; for the well read 
critics have in all ages taken pleafure to 
indicate the whexce of ftolen p2fiages, and 
therefore edit and annotate moft willingly 
the purloiner. | . 
Had Mr. Southey got this poem done 
into Welfh by Mr.Owen, or fome other 
zealot of Myvytian Archaiology ; had he 
fo publifhed it with a Latin interpretation, 
and then given us the original asa mere 
verfion from fome old bard; envy would 
have been cheated and curiofiry aroufed, 
and Madec would foon have furpaffed in 
Europeanity of reputation the pretended 
works ef Ofian. In its prefent. fincere 
form it will win a le{s eafy way to fame ; 
but it will not have to make a returning 
fiep. 
It is eafier to blame than to praife; can- - 
ker-like to nibble at the laurel-leaf, than 
to water its varnifh into higher lufire: but 
our limits forbid the detailing of thofe 
fcattered paflages in which we wifhed for 
abbreviation. Asa whole, the cenfure of 
4Q Madoc 
